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Indiana Football: The fix for IU’s running game; give Ronnie Walker more carries

By Alec Lasley

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 31: Ronnie Walker Jr. #23 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball during the first half as Jacob White #2 of the Ball State Cardinals misses the tackle at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 31: Ronnie Walker Jr. #23 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball during the first half as Jacob White #2 of the Ball State Cardinals misses the tackle at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The Indiana football program has had its struggles running the ball this season, but Ronnie Walker could be the answer to its problems.

Coming into 2019, the backfield was stacked with talent and potential and looked to be a heavy part of the offensive game plan. Once Kalen DeBoer took over the reigns however, the Indiana football program became a heavy pass offense and through three games, have been extremely underwhelming with the rushing attack.

Stevie Scott was a 1,000+ yard rusher as a freshman but has yet to crack 65 yards in a game and with little help from the supporting cast, it has made the offense extremely one-dimensional, and it showed on Saturday.

While Scott has received the majority of the carries, Sampson James has chipped in 17, but one part of the backfield that has yet to make much of an impact is Ronnie Walker. The sophomore back came into this season with high expectations as a great change of pace back next to Scott, but has been anything but that.

Walker has just five carries on the season and saw just one against the Buckeyes on Saturday. Not only does Walker have exceptional speed, but he takes advantage of his opportunities when given. In his 12 career games with at least one carry, he has averaged 4.8 ypc. Even more, he has averaged 5.9 ypc in four career games with at least four carries.

At 5-foot-11, Walker does a great job of getting low behind the offensive line and being able to move east-to-west at a much better pace than any other back on the IU roster. With the O-line struggling at times this season, and running it up the middle clearly isn’t working, Walker’s biggest asset is IU’s biggest weakness at the moment.

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Moving forward, I would love to see Walker touch the ball 7-9 times per game because if he does, he is bound for a big gain and his speed can wear down the defense for when Scott is inserted back into the lineup.

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